


Secrets in Shadows

by KitaNor



Category: Bunnicula (Cartoon)
Genre: Gets a bit dark, Is not exactly an AU but kind of is, M/M, Plays with canon, slow-burn romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-10-13 20:09:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10520955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitaNor/pseuds/KitaNor
Summary: He’d always been able to see them, for as long as he could remember. They were always there, everywhere, commenting on everything and telling Chester little secrets he never wanted to know. Yes, Chester had always been able to see them, but no one else could.Not even Bunnicula.OOOIn which Chester's got a secret, and he might not be as normal as everyone thinks.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a oneshot but I decided I wanted to continue it... updates will probably be sporadic, and I'm not sure if I'm going to go through the series and show how episodes would have been different with this aspect of Chester's character, I might just go along my own storyline. Maybe I'll make an episode collection with this idea included though, to explore how things would have been different in-show.
> 
> I just thought it would be interesting to explore how Chester having a connection to the supernatural would change the story up.

_The kitten looked at the two shadows hovering behind him, unsure. “I don’t see how this will work,” he stated matter-of-factly._

_“Trust us,” the first shadow laughed, shifting its form into that of another cat. It traipsed over to the cage door and rubbed against it, its unnaturally-wide grin revealing ivory teeth. The kitten shivered. “Come on, Chester,” it almost sang, sliding through the bars as it dissipated into smoke. “You’re small. You can squeeze on through...”_

_As it cackled, Chester looked uncertainly at its partner. It wore a grin to match the first’s, its own teeth gleaming chrome. “All is as it should be,” it said simply, its”body” shrinking down to Chester’s size. It pranced over to the bars and, unlike its partner, it squeezed between two bars, wiggling through to freedom where it promptly shifted back into its amorphous form, its unnatural grin seeming to grow._

_He listened to his fellow kittens breathing softly as they slept, curled up to their mother. Deep down, something whispered to him- rejoin his family, it said, ignore the shadows, it said. A stronger voice, however, told him to trust them._

_Taking as deep a breath as his small kitten-lungs would allow, he pressed himself against the bars of the cage and closed his eyes. Carefully, he turned his head until he felt the metal slide around his head, and in that moment he knew he could do it._

_“Come,” the shadows beckoned as he pushed the rest of himself out of the cage, tumbling with a yelp to the floor below. “The window is cracked open, you can get through.”_

_“Follow us,” Chrome called to him as Chester stumbled back to his feet. “We will lead you where you need to go!” It laughed, moving towards the window. Chester frowned, his eyes moving up up up way up to the window. Then his eyes trailed to the boxes stacked up next to a series of cages under the window, and he knew how to reach it._

_Ivory giggled as the kitten padded over to the cages and began climbing up using the bars, determination written in the small yellow eyes. “Smart kitty, good kitty, little ball of fur,” it sang, its voice somewhat annoying Chester but he didn’t give up, reaching for the next horizontal bar above his head._

_Soon enough he had reached the top of the cages and moved his attention to the boxes. He had to be more careful, he knew- the pile wasn’t all that stable, one wrong move could send him tumbling all the way to the floor... and it would be painful, he knew._

_Taking another breath, he unsheathed his claws and began to climb, every wobble of the pile sending fear spiking through his being. Ivory and Chrome cheered him on, giggles and cackles interspersed between their praises, but honestly the kitten ignored them for the most part; they were more distracting than motivating, to be honest._

_It took a minute, but soon Chester found himself just under and to the right of the window. Determination-_ ‘I’ve come this far, I can’t give up now!’- _filled him, and with little to no hesitance he leapt for the window._

_His paws, claws still out, caught on the sill, and for just a moment he scrabbled to keep his grip. Then he pulled himself up and looked back at his family one last time._

_They were sleeping peacefully, none of them any wiser about his escape._

_“No worry, for they will find homes,” Ivory whispered, almost reassuringly. “Do not fear for them. But if you do not leave today, Chester, you will never be free of this place. They will be fine without you.”_

_He watched them for just a few seconds longer before turning away. He knew to trust the shadows- they had always been right before. If they said everything would be fine, everything would be fine._

_If they said everything would not be fine, then everything would not be fine._

_Chester squeezed through the window and leapt for the tree branch just underneath it. If it was time for him to leave then he would leave._

_Chrome led the way._

* * *

He’d always been able to see them, for as long as he could remember. They were always there, everywhere, commenting on everything and telling Chester little secrets he never wanted to know.

In the shelter, in the house, outside, in the apartment- they were always there, lingering just at the edge of the room... looming behind people as they passed, whispering amongst themselves and calling to Chester, whispering words in ears that would never hear them, claw-like hands gripping the cat’s shoulders as he watched a car he knew would never reach its destination, as he watched Mina laugh with a boy he knew wouldn’t see tomorrow...

They were there when Mina found the key, giggling about how “things are as they were always meant to be.” They were there when Chester and Harold first met Bunnicula in the kitchen in the dead of night, howling with laughter as Chester understood that his life would never be the same.

Yes, Chester had always been able to see them, but no one else could.

Not even Bunnicula.


	2. Are You Ready to Challenge Fate?

He lounged out on the balcony, watching the cars pass by through the bars. Harold and Bunnicula were inside, out of the fading sunlight, and Ivory and Chrome seemed to chase each other around on the roof, one formed into a pitch black dog and the other into a pitch black cat. Their cackling laughter was rivaled only by Bunnicula’s own.

Sighing, Chester stood up, stretched, and leapt up onto the rail. Settling down, his eyes scanned over the people walking to and fro below; Mina wasn’t home yet but he knew she’d be just fine. If she wouldn’t be, the Shadows would have told him.

Seeming to sense his motion, a shadow dog and shadow cat leapt down from the roof and onto the rail on either side of him, balancing needlessly as they settled down comfortably.

“Kitty kitty, what do you see?” Ivory giggled to him, its voice lost to all but him. Chester barely glanced over at him, instead watching the ground so far below.

“Ah young love~” Chrome cooed, stretching its canine neck out as it looked below at a couple walking hand-in-hand. Chester distantly recognized the couple; they always passed by at the same time every day. “Such a shame what is to happen.”

“Ah but all is as it has always been,” Ivory reminded its companion. “Isn’t that right, kitty?”

“Stop calling me that,” Chester muttered, tearing his eyes away from the couple. Now he knew something was going to happen, but he wasn’t sure what exactly it would be. All he knew was that within twenty-four hours, one of them would be dead.

He certainly didn’t want the Shadows to tell him what was about to happen.

“Ah but kitty~” Ivory giggled, purring as it forcefully rubbed against Chester’s side. Chester quickly adjusted his position to keep from falling. “You’re a cute fluffy little kitty~”

“My name is Chester,” the real cat sighed, glancing skywards as the two Shadows dissipated into inky formlessness again. Behind him something clattered to the floor and Harold let out a yelp, his and Bunnicula’s laughter abruptly cutting off. Sighing, Chester leapt down from the rail and hurried over to his friend’s side.

The dog had crashed into the wall, it seemed, and a sculpture Mina had hanging from a hook had fallen on him. However, Harold was relatively unscathed as he stood back up, surprise written on his face as both Chester and Bunnicula approached him.

“Ow,” the dog muttered, rubbing at his shoulder where the sculpture had hit him. “Mina’s project attacked me!”

“Harold,” Chester sighed, sitting down, “you hit a wall and knocked it down. It didn’t attack you.”

“Yes it did.”

He decided not to argue, barely glancing over at the rabbit as Bunnicula began spouting off some gibberish. Behind him Ivory giggled, sidling over to the oblivious rabbit.

“Isn’t this funny?” Ivory asked rhetorically, its burning eyes and gleaming teeth grinning over at Chester. “Yes yes, as it should be! -but what’s this? Heehee~ by the time the sun rises things will never be the same...”

Chester’s heart almost stopped.  _ What? _

“Interesting,” Chrome purred, curling itself around Bunnicula. The shadow moved with every motion Bunnicula made, and a hand formed out of its amorphous body to quietly begin petting the vampire’s head. “Interesting indeed.”

_ Get away from him, _ Chester wanted to hiss, but he bit his tongue and watched as Bunnicula pat Harold’s shoulder.  _ Nothing could happen to Bunnicula. _

Ivory’s giggles only increased as it shifted over to Harold, seeming to lay itself across his back. “Silly pup,” it started, “rat poison isn’t for drinking~”

_ No no no no no no no- _

“By morning everything will be different,” Chrome whispered, suddenly at Chester’s ear. “Will you finally intervene, Chester?”

“Humans can be quite cruel,” Ivory added without a laugh, its voice suddenly steel as the Shadow flitted over to Chester. The cat could hardly breathe, staring wide-eyed at the Shadow-  _ no no no- _ as it towered over him. Its eyes seemed so much colder than usual as it stared down at him. “Will you not even try?”

“Things are as they always were,” Chrome hummed and Chester could feel its claws on his shoulders. “But that isn’t how they always have to be.”

_ What? _ Chester wondered- were the Shadows giving him a choice?

Could he... change what happens?

“There’s always a choice,” Ivory giggled, flitting around and away from Chester. It practically melted into the shadows under the bed. “Always a choice.”

“The future isn’t a straight line,” Chrome reminded Chester, its claws slipping away from his shoulders as it, too, melted away into the shadows. “If you want something enough, you can do something about it. But be careful, Chester... pick your fights wisely- Fate does not take kindly to being altered  _ too _ often...”

As its words faded away, Chester felt something collide with his face. With a yelp he leapt back, looking in shock at the rabbit in front of him. Bunnicula was frowning, staring at him with a hint of concern gleaming in his eyes, and Chester realized that to him and Harold, it looked like he was just standing there, frozen in place...

Shaking his head, Chester said, “I’m fine, fine, just- sorry, what was going on again?”

Harold and Bunnicula exchanged a look, neither looking very reassured.

“We were gonna wait for Mina,” Harold answered, standing up on his four feet. “Wanna come?”

His first instinct was to say  _ no, I want to be alone, _ but then he paused.  _ Rat poison, _ he remembered, blinking at his friends.  _ I’ll just stay with Harold tonight and keep him from drinking any random liquid he finds. Piece of cake. _

Then Harold’s many times drinking from the toilet came to mind and he knew it was easier said than done.

“Right,” he agreed, forcing a smile on his face as he gave his concerned friends a thumbs up. “Of course, why not?”

From the shadows he could hear giggling. Neither Harold nor Bunnicula reacted, just as Chester knew they wouldn’t.

Bunnicula literally flew out the door, babbling something to Harold as the dog followed. Chester hurried after them, glancing back once into the shadows. Chrome and Ivory were watching him.

Unknown to him, another set of red eyes watched as well, and as Chester shivered and darted after Harold again, Bunnicula frowned.

What, he wondered, was up with his friend? He was acting even more  _ off _ than normal...

“Harold, don’t drink that!”

Bunnicula continued down the hall and to the front door, where Chester had practically tackled Harold to keep him from drinking some spilled water. His frown sharpened.

_ What’s wrong? _


	3. Undead Revival 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry for the impromptu hiatus, I lost someone close to me recently and didn't have the heart to write, and then I was feeling unsure about everything I wrote.
> 
> To make up for my being gone for so long and how short my chapters are, I'm updating two chapters at once!

“Silly kitty,” Ivory giggled, circling around the cat as he sat next to Harold. “You’re so cute, tackling big doggies like that~”

Refusing to react Chester simply turned to Harold and said, “Look Harold, you can’t just drink water you find sitting on the sidewalk. Who knows what’s in it?!”

“What’s the big deal?” Harold asked, looking at his friend confused. “I always drink from puddles, Chester.”

“Yeah, well, you need to stop it,” Chester griped, ears flattening. Bunnicula gave him a quizzical look, frowning. “Don’t look at me like that, for all we know that water could be-”

“Mina’s home!” Harold cheered, leaping up and darting down the sidewalk to greet Mina. Sighing, Chester followed.

“It’s a nice night tonight isn’t it, Chester?” Chrome hummed, materializing next to him and trotting along. Chester rubbed against Mina’s leg, pointedly ignoring Chrome as Mina hugged Harold, pet Chester and scooped Bunnicula up into her arms. “Perfect night for, say, that neighbor next door- you know, the one who hates animals- to mess around...”

_ Shut up, _ he thought, shooting the shadow a glare before following Harold and Mina back to the front door. He glanced up in time to see Bunnicula raise a brow at him. “What are you lookin’ at?” Chester asked the bunny, playing it off as he always did.

The vampire didn’t respond, instead turning to bat at Mina’s hair.

As they entered the house, Chester clenched his teeth and said, “Hey Harold, wanna watch TV with me?”

Harold looked at him, wide-eyed and ears perked. “You wanna watch TV with me?” he asked, the excitement growing in his voice. “You never ask me to watch TV with you!”

With an awkward laugh and a silent prayer that he wouldn’t get stuck watching some childish horror, Chester answered, “Well today I’m feeling good so why not?” Bunnicula made a strange sound, wiggling out of Mina’s grasp and landing on the floor again. Chester’s whiskers twitched. “Yeah, why not make it a party, huh?”

Harold and Bunnicula shared a strange look, neither seeming sure what to say. Then Bunnicula shrugged, as if to say  _ whatever,  _ and he nodded at Chester. Relaxing a bit, the cat headed towards the living room.

“You make your friend suspicious, kitty,” Ivory cackled, and Chester glanced up to find the shadow hanging above his head. “You act out of character, they will only question you.”

_ Yeah, _ he thought bitterly as he jumped up onto the couch,  _ but at least they’ll be alive, right? _ Not as if the shadows could hear him...

Harold bounded into the room with Bunnicula on his back, and the rabbit jumped up onto the couch next to Chester. The cat felt some relief as the rabbit sat down right beside him, causing the shadows settling there to scatter.

“So, what do we wanna watch?” Chester asked, glancing towards the remote next to Bunnicula.

“Ooh, ooh! Undead Revival 3!” Harold immediately suggested and Bunnicula eagerly nodded an agreement, babbling something that Chester, plainly, could not understand. Chester sighed but gritting his teeth in a smile and nodding, he let Bunnicula grab the remote and switch it to the horror movie network.

Why there was even a horror movie network Chester had no idea.

Harold laid down on the floor in front of Chester and Mina came in moments after Bunnicula dropped the remote.

“Oh cool, Undead Revival 3! That’s my favourite!” she laughed, dropping down onto the empty seat. The shadows simply curled themselves around Harold, who was none the wiser.

Chester knew he was in for a long night.


	4. Questions Without Answers

The night seemed to progress as it usually did but Chester could not sleep. Mina, Bunnicula and Harold all seemed to have fallen asleep around the couch halfway through Undead Revival 3, but Chrome and Ivory were shifting around in the corner whispering delightedly.

Chester was on edge. Over the sound of the television, somewhere in the distance, he could hear the screeching of tires, of metal-on-concrete, followed not long after the wailing of sirens and in his mind he could see the couple from before walking innocently, obliviously, past.

It had just struck midnight when Harold’s head suddenly popped up. Tensing, Chester sat up, barely noticing Bunnicula slip away from himself and against Mina’s leg.

“Harold,” he whispered, but the dog seemed more interested in whatever had gotten his attention. Sniffing the air, Harold stood up and headed towards the back door.

Ivory cackled and fear spiked through Chester. Without wasting a moment he leapt down from the couch and ran to Harold, skidding to a stop in front of the doggie door.

Harold stopped, seeming surprised that Chester stood in his way. “Hey, Chesty,” Harold greeted happily. “Are you gonna find the smell, too?”

“No, Harold,” Chester shook his head. “I’m not, and neither are you. Let’s just go back to Mina and Bunnicula and forget the strange smell.”

“Oh Chester,” Ivory purred as it took on the form of a dog, pressing against Harold’s side. “Do you really think that will work, kitty-witty?”

“What’s gotten into you, Chester? You’re actin’ kinda weird,” Harold told him, tilting his head slightly.

“Nothing’s gotten into me,” Chester stated matter-of-factly, ignoring Bunnicula as the rabbit peeked into the room. “I just- it’s late, Harold. We shouldn’t go outside.”

Harold frowned at him, clearly unhappy about this. “But I want to go outside.”

“No, Harold, you don’t.”

Bunnicula began speaking, though Chester could not understand a word he said, and made his way over to Harold.

“Chester’s actin’ weird,” Harold told Bunnicula. “He won’t let me go outside.”

“It’s late! We should be asleep!” Chester protested, gritting his teeth. “Bunnicula might be nocturnal but we’re not!”

Bunnicula didn’t look impressed as he said something else. Harold looked over at Bunnicula.

“Exactly! I wanna know what that smell is, and it’s coming from outside,” he complained childishly, seeming to dance on his paws. Bunnicula looked at Chester.

Stubbornly shaking his head, Chester said, “No way.”

This, apparently, did not satisfy Bunnicula, who was now just as curious as Harold- not about the strange scent in the air but about why Chester was so adamant. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time they’d been outside so late, after all, so really Chester was freaking out for no reason.

At least that was what he thought as he jumped up, his ears turning to wings as he flew over to Chester and grabbed him by the arms.

Chester’s eyes widened. “No!” he screeched, “put me down!”

“Nah-ah!” Bunnicula protested, watching as Harold happily traipsed out the doggie door.

“You don’t understand!” Chester started, sounding almost hysterical as he struggled. “He’s in danger, don’t let him go out there!”

Chrome’s giggles joined Ivory’s laughter. “Done in by the bunny, it seems,” Chrome commented to its companion.

“Shut up!” Chester shrieked, startling Bunnicula who had not said a word. Bunnicula lost his grip on Chester and the cat fell to the floor, but he didn’t stay there long; as soon as he landed on all four paws he darted outside, shouting Harold’s name.

Bunnicula frowned and looked around- who had Chester been yelling at, he wondered? Unable to see anyone else Bunnicula shrugged and followed his friends outside.

As soon as he was outside the scent hit him like a ton of bricks, and immediately he knew what it was. He watched in shock as Chester threw himself against Harold, causing the dog to fall over before his tongue could touch the deadly liquid on the ground.

Bunnicula had not caught the scent of the poison inside and he knew damn well Chester hadn’t either... but Chester had known it was out there, Bunnicula knew without a doubt as he watched Chester stay between Harold and the puddle of death.

Narrowing his eyes, Bunnicula watched the cat; his ears were twitching almost crazily, as if he was listening to something no one else could hear. Dropping to the ground, Bunnicula allowed his ears to shift back and he perked them up and turned them, listening for whatever it was his friend was hearing, but he simply could not.

This left three questions in the vampire’s mind;

Who was Chester yelling at?

What was Chester listening to?

And just how did Chester know that poison was there?


End file.
